Former Secretary of State Rufus Edmisten's statement on Jesse Helms' death

Posted July 4, 2008 2:55 p.m. EDT

"This man, consistently on Capitol Hill, showed what a true Southern gentleman is. Now, he got up on the floor of the Senate, and when he was passionate about something, he let the words flow. But always, in his personal dealings with staff, he was the most gentlemanly character, and he was consistently voted by the Senate staff to be one of the most courteous caring people on Capitol Hill. Even though the senator and I disagreed on things over the years, it was never one that had any acrimony. I think everybody should know that this man was never impressed with power. He never got the hubris bug. He never thought that he could never do any wrong."